It's been almost a week since the race. I have to say I loved the actual race, the distance is well suited for me. Not once during the race did I feel uncomfortable, or hurt. That's good and bad, not feeling any discomfort also means I was definitely holding back, however since this was my first half iron I really didn't want to go and blow up either. After the race I think I may have experienced some sort of adrenaline high..... for days! I wasn't tired or sore, took Monday off from working out but was back at it Tuesday, well I think I am finally coming down from it. Woke up early this morning and decided to head out for a 30-40 mile ride. Went out to Cashmere did 4 miles up Nahahum all in a very happy place of riding for fun, but by the time I got back to Wenatchee I could've sworn my rear tire had a flat, got home made Lo breakfast and crashed on the couch for 20 minutes...dang the high is over!
I should address this as well, I keep getting asked what I did for nutrition for an endurance race. I have no secrets, I've read a lot of Allen Lims philosophy. Here's a quote that sums it up a bit
The biggest nutrition mistake endurance athletes make is believing that engineered food is better for performance than real or natural food,” Allen Lim, PhD.
I have been a vegetarian (that eats fish) for 12 years now, so my main everyday diet is high in fruits and vegetables (lots of salad varieties for dinner), some grains, legumes and fish. I did add eggs back into my diet a couple of months ago to get a little extra protein, and actually felt a ton better. On long rides (3 plus hours) I'd use Skratch hydration in my bottle, it's made with only real ingredients, and pack either a PB and J sandwich or Lara bars.
I did get nervous leading up to the race so I called a friend and questioned her on night before and race morning nutrition. I stuck with my original plan, eat small all day before plus hydrating well, then race morning a banana, PB and J sandwich. One piece of advice she gave me was drink Ensure, this was a great call. Being nervous I wasn't hungry and could only eat about half of what I planned but drank ensure the night before and sipped on one the morning of! It all worked, but there really was no magical formula, more just keeping it all real!
This is the other food I firmly believe in. I eat a huge bowl of blueberries everyday. I read when I was training for a marathon that blueberries actually help repair your muscles and keep inflammation down after long strenuous workouts, plus they are super yummy!
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